Tightlacing corsets - The Corset College

Annalai

(Moderator) 2006-08-10, 21:46 #1

Member since May 2005 · 158 posts · Location: Sweden
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Subject: Tightlacing corsets

Hi all,

http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Waist-reducing-and-Tight-lacing-…

I saw this and I think it is good in a way but one thing I really was suprised to read was this about tightlacing how you know a corset is made for tightlacing or not. This writer says it must be made for more reduction then 4 inches or else it is not a tightlacing corset and it should be able to reduce as much as 10 inches at once. Well my first custom made corset was made with 4 inches reduction so was the second one also counted from the natural waist I had got after some month of tightlacing but after this my corsets has been made with less and less reduction compared to my previous one but they have all been very well made and made for tightlacing and I call myself a tightlacer. The difference between my black leathercorset and my currently cream leathercorset was only a few cm (about 1 inch). The corset I am waiting for now is also only made with some cm (about 1 inch) smaller then my current one. And they are really made for tightlacing.

For me the term tightlacing does not have to do how many inches you take off your waist insted it has to do how often and how long you wear your corset and also safe tightlacing takes time inch by inch over week often month of time even years to have a safe and sound 10 inch reduction and during this time the natural waist shrinks slowly. A person who puts on a corset once a week and lace it down 10 inches is not tightlacing to me they are crushlacing or something else.

And we who do tightlace and wear a corset 23/7 knows the fit is very important and if a corset is made for 10 inches reduction at once it will not be comfortable to wear. The less reduction the more comfortable. Some corsetmakers who makes corsets suitable for tightlacing and has done so for many many years does not even recommend anyone to order a corset with anything over a 4 inch reduction and 6 inches as most if it is your first corset and have more to take off your waist. And the longer you have tightlaced and the smaller your waist get the less reduction the next corset you order should have.

Maybe I do not make myself very clear and maybe if I counted from day one when I started to wear a corset I can say I reduce my waist with more then 10 inches but this is not fully true in reality. I never allows my waist to expand back to the size I had several years ago so it is no 10 inches to lace down just a few when I do remove my corset or in the morning. I do loose the corset slightly during the night and lace it tighter in the morning before breakfast. I prefer to take a shower in the evening. I shower and put on the corset again and stay laced 23/7 until next shower and to me this is tightlacing.

I have also seen a difference between "old" corsetmakers and people who tightlace and the new ones who has started to make corsets recently or for some 2 years ago or something similar. The "old" ones seems to prefer to have the corset almost fully closed while the new ones prefer to have a gap of at least 2 inches when the corset is fully closed this is in the design of it + the normal gap of 4 or 6 inches. Personally I prefer when the corset is closed or almost closed I feel I get the most support to my back like this and I also like the look of it. A very open gap in the back just looks uncomfortable and also like you have a too small corset made for you.

Just look at photos from wellknown tightlacers like Ethel, Cathie Jung, me and several others we all have our corsets fully or almost fully closed compared to the ones who lace sometimes they can have huge gap so the corset almost not is even covering the back of them.

Ok this got very long. I am tired and should have gone to bed a long time ago so I do hope I make sence at all.

Just wondering how others sees this? What is tightlacing for you and how does a tightlacing corset look like to you? Again I want to say I think the advice written by the writer is on the whole good ones but I just reacted about this how she or he explain the term tightlacing and wonders how others thinks about it.

Annalai

Asenath (Administrator) 2006-09-02, 10:32 #2

Member since Apr 2005 · 189 posts · Location: Belfast
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Hi Annalai!

Actually I understand what she wrote a bit differently, after all her primary goal is to explain the differences between the fashion and bedroom "corsets" and the real ones. She only mentions tightlacing corsets because this term is often misused too.

Quote by belladonna_eyes:
...As mentioned before, the standard waist reduction for normal corsets is around 4 inches, so tight-lacing is defined as more than 4 inches, often as much as 10.
...Must be able to take around 4 inches off the wearer's waist (tight lacing corsets are designed to take much more than 4 inches off)

Most standard-sized corsets are designed to take a maximum of 4" off (That means off your initial waist size of course! Please keep in mind that this guide is written for beginners, as people who have been into corsetry for a while know what to look for themselves), which is in most cases an amount that doesn't require a too complicated construction and pattern. However, those techniques don't work well for larger reductions (think of custom Vollers corsets - I have heard many complaints!)
A tightlacing corset though must be designed to achieve AT LEAST this amount of reduction, but the pattern and construction technique should be easily adaptable for larger reductions.
If you look at those two definitions, even a very well-made standard-sized corset with a 4" reduction COULD technically be counted as a tightlacing corset.
So, it's more a question of what would be possible than what the corset actually does. Because no matter how many inches you want to take off, a corset for tightlacers will always have to be made differently than a corset designed for just occasional wear.

Well, this is how I see it and this is what I *think* she wrote.

And yes, I noted the large gap too, I don't like it either, neither the look or feel is very pleasant. This is why I usually SAY I don't want one if the corsetmaker doesn't ask, but most of them do.

Ty

Asenath

Amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

fixers 2006-09-02, 12:04 #3

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About the gap... I prefer a gap in the back of about 1-1,5 inches. But always with a modesty panel between the laces and the back.

Missyelle 2007-09-18, 02:43 #4

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In reply to post #2

Quote by Asenath on 2006-09-02, 10:32:
Most standard-sized corsets are designed to take a maximum of 4" off (That means off your initial waist size of course! Please keep in mind that this guide is written for beginners, as people who have been into corsetry for a while know what to look for themselves), which is in most cases an amount that doesn't require a too complicated construction and pattern. However, those techniques don't work well for larger reductions (think of custom Vollers corsets - I have heard many complaints!)
A tightlacing corset though must be designed to achieve AT LEAST this amount of reduction, but the pattern and construction technique should be easily adaptable for larger reductions.
If you look at those two definitions, even a very well-made standard-sized corset with a 4" reduction COULD technically be counted as a tightlacing corset.
So, it's more a question of what would be possible than what the corset actually does. Because no matter how many inches you want to take off, a corset for tightlacers will always have to be made differently than a corset designed for just occasional wear.

Ty

Asenath

AKKKK!!! & I was planning on ordering my first corset from Vollers next week! What were the complaints about, specifically? I don't know whether you'd consider this tightlacing or not... I was going to order an underbust corset (quite a long one, actually, ends right above the butt). My natural waist measurement is 33.5" & my hips are 43" (@ hipbone). I want to have one custom-made. I am planning to get my waist down to 30", but have the possibility of my waist being 28" once the corset is closed. What do you think? Can you recommend another company more reputable to achieve this? I'm a little nervous about ordering a custom corset, as I would not be able to return it, but I want a custom one so that it fits the best!

tighter_jen 2007-12-09, 01:54 #5

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I believe that it is all a question of what each person's goals and capabilities are. Tightlacing is above all a commitment, much more than just a question of how much girth is taken off.

To say that an arbitrary reduction of X inches or more is considered tightlacing is simplistic. Yes, it may be tight, but wearing a tight corset does not make someone a tightlacer. Prior to two years ago, I wore numerically tight corsets but only occasionally. Only once I started systematically wearing a corset with the express goal of changing my figure on a daily basis did I become a tightlacer. I had to make a commitment and stick to it.

And I agree that a corset that takes off only four inches could be a tightlacing corset for one person, but for another it would be just too loose. I don't feel comfortably tight until I have about 6" of reduction, plus or minus, depending on the day. And I am sure there are others out there who manage more without undue discomfort. I respect and admire anyone who makes the commitment to tightlace, regardless of the amount of reduction. Those who have more reduction, I add envy to respect and admiration... ;-)

As for the gap in the back, I don't like wide gaps either. I like mine fully closed, and a little open for sleeping. It feels better and stiffer when closed. I like the stiffness and snugness - it is comforting.

Finally, well-made, custom-made corsets are always the best for tightlacing. If one spends the whole day, every day, in a corset, it has to fit well. Everybody has a different shape, so there is no "one size fits all" for tightlacing.
If one has access to a reputable corset maker, it is worth the effort. If one is so inclined, making your own would be even better - but be prepared for a lot of trial and error, I know that! But once you have the right measurements and the right shape, and the experience, it will fit right every time and feel fantastic.

So tightlacing is more about the tightlacer and the commitment to change one's figure. For the tightlacer, the corset is an instrument, a means, not an end or a goal.

Jenny.

Self-discipline and patience are the keys to a tight waist...
The event horizon cannot be reached without some squeezing and pulling...